Abstract

My friend, Marvin J. Wallway, died July 27, 1996, following a short illness. Memorial services were held at Mount Hope Lutheran Church in Casper, Wyoming. Marvin married Beatrice Gilfert (her friends call her "Bee") on June 6, 1934, in Elk Point, South Dakota. He graduated from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles in 1942 with a Bachelor of Science degree in geology and a minor in mining engineering. Marv was a hard worker who over the years developed an amazing work history, starting from the family farm near Emerson, Nebraska. He helped build Liberty Ships, worked to control floods on the Missouri River, worked as a roustabout at Signal Hill, worked for the U.S. government on a confidential minerals exploration project in Utah, worked as a geologist for Pacific Western Oil Company, worked for 40 years as an independent geologist in Casper, "working up" drilling deals on wildcat prospects and "sitting wells," and did just about everything related to oil and gas exploration throughout the Rocky Mountain region. During this time, Marv and Bee raised four beautiful daughters who provided them with eight grandchildren. According to his daughters, Marv was not famous for being frivolous. In fact, he was somewhat famous for being frugal. His family and friends laughed at his unwillingness to part with a single bent nail or a pair of well-worn slippers, but marveled at his ability to jury-rig and repair just about anything. He was a quietly generous man who helped many people during his lifetime without ever seeking recognition for himself. He had strong religious convictions that were reflected in his daily life. Marv was an avid reader and took a great interest in politics. At a reception for friends and family, Paul Walton, a close friend for more than 40 years remarked, "Now I won't ever know who to vote for!" He was never reluctant to share his solid conservative views on politics with anyone. Together, he and Bee spent 62 years working, talking, reading, praying, traveling, and raising four wonderful daughters. He built a home for his family with his own hands and was busy maintaining, repairing, and improving that home right up to the very last. That house stands as a monument to his skill, his ingenuity, his quest for knowledge, his devotion, his work ethic, and his love. (Many of the details of Marv's past history were provided by his four daughters.)